


A Summer in Oregon

by VoidofLight



Series: OreGone [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: "D':", Angst, Don't want to spoil anything, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I might add another chapter if popular demand says to, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, They suck, Virgil's parents are mentioned but not in this, in the words of my beta reader, it goes from angst to fluff to angst again, just saying, you're gonna cry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 15:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20819666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidofLight/pseuds/VoidofLight
Summary: Not gonna lie, this was legit my dream last night but with different characters. Just had to fic it.When Virgil comes out as gay to his family, his already inattentive parents send him to live with his estranged gay cousin for the summer in hopes of changing his mind.TAGS ARE SPOILERS SO MAYBE READ AFTERWARDS





	A Summer in Oregon

**Author's Note:**

> If you've decided to read this, I'm sorry. (no I'm not)
> 
> Enjoy!

Virgil’s parents never really cared. Sure, they fed him and provided him with food everyday and a bed every night; but they never bothered to ask him how his day was, or if he’d made any new friends. Virgil didn’t have friends, he was too busy worrying.

All of Virgil’s worrying was for good reason. He was gay, he came out, he was shunned. His already cold parents fixed him with an ugly sneer at his words. They took out their phones and walked away from him, leaving him alone at the all-too-big dinner table.

They sent him to live with his cousin, in Oregon. Almost 3,000 miles away from their home in Florida. Some small, isolated town in the middle of the woods. His cousin was gay. They hoped he would learn from his cousin’s mistakes and take back his words. Up until that point, Virgil didn’t know he  _ had  _ a cousin.

\---

The moment Virgil stepped off the bus, he wasn’t alone. There, waiting for him at the bus stop, was his cousin. Clad in sandy brown khakis and a light blue polo shirt, waving to him and beaming with the power of 1,000 suns.

His name is Patton. He runs a small tourist shop at the edge of the woods, greeting any passersby on their way past. People in the nearest town love him. Virgil hears whispers of all the good deeds Patton’s done. Of all the women who’d love him; if not for his boyfriend.

His boyfriend’s name is Logan. He works as a history teacher in the town’s high school. Every time Virgil’s seen him, he’s wearing black dress pants with a black polo shirt and a blue striped tie. His smile isn’t as bright as Patton’s. It’s more like a calm, starry night. Just there, reminding you that it’s ok.

The first place Patton takes him to is his tourist shop, to meet it’s one employee. His name is Roman, he’s just a year older than Virgil, with a smile that shines almost as bright as Patton’s. Sometimes, Virgil wonders if the reason his smile is so bright is to suck in all the negativity in the world. Virgil doesn’t have an answer.

\---

On the first day, Patton asks him if he’s really going to stay. As though he can’t believe that someone in his family would visit him for a day; nevertheless all 3 months of summer. Virgil doesn’t answer him. So Patton takes him out for ice-cream. Roman and Logan tag along. Jokes are made, ice-cream is spilt, and bets are won. The weight in Virgil’s heart lightens, if only just a little.

On the second day, Patton asks again. “Are you really going to stay?” This time, Virgil shrugs, walking away to go sit in the rocking chair on the front porch. He found it yesterday, coming back from ice-cream. Something about rocking chairs always made Virgil calmer. The way they rocked to-and-fro, like waves in the ocean. Patton joins him on the porch that night, placing his own regular fold-out chair beside his and talking to him about facts Logan told him about the stars. Virgil listens the whole time, feeling more at peace than ever before.

On the third day, Patton asks again. “Are you really going to stay?” This time, Virgil opens his mouth to answer. But the words catch in his throat, coming out as a sigh instead. Patton smiles, to know that Virgil was going to answer is enough. They go out for dinner that night. Roman and Logan joining them at the small diner in town. The food isn’t as good as Patton’s home-cooked meals, but they have an aquarium. Logan tells facts about the different kinds of fish in there. Patton makes jokes out of them. Roman tries to fight them. They almost got kicked out of the diner, but Patton smiled at the waitress. They were let back in.

On the fourth day, Patton asks again. “Are you really going to stay?” This time, Virgil has an answer. “Yes.” He’s in a hug before he knows it. Virgil never noticed before, but Patton smells like cookies. Freshly baked cookies, like they just came out of the oven. Like home. He mentions off-handedly to Roman that he’s never seen a Disney movie before. Roman gasped offendedly, declaring that they were going to have a movie marathon that night. So they did. Logan made the popcorn. Patton set up the TV. Roman sang along, loud and proud, to each and every song. Virgil compared him to the princes in the films, giving him the name “Princey”. Princey took it in stride. And for the first time in forever, Virgil had a home.

\---

All of Virgil’s days began in the rocking chair on the porch. For some inexplicable reason, he always woke up before the sun. So he sat in the chair, rocking back and forth as he checked his phone. Patton found him once, in the rocking chair as the sun went up. There was a chill that morning, but Virgil wore nothing but a plain black hoodie and black jeans. Patton wouldn’t let that stand.

He gave Virgil a blanket. An old, lovingly used purple patchwork blanket. It smelled the same as Patton, carried the same kind of warmth. On especially cold days, Virgil snuggled closer to it.

Everyday seemed to carry another adventure. Helping a child find their toy. Going into town to deliver a message. Visiting a museum, or park, or something else a couple miles away in a different town. The drive never seemed to last long, it never was. Not with Princey boasting proudly about his knowledge of the musical Hamilton. Not with Logan out-rapping Princey. Not with Patton, there to support both Princey and Logan as Princey cried about how unfair it was that teach was so good at rapping when he never even does it.

Over the weeks, Virgil’s favorite black hoodie grew older and older. Holes appeared in it from where moths ate through it. It no longer provided the same warmth that it used to. But Virgil still wore it, even if it made him colder rather than warmer.

One day, Virgil couldn’t find it in the laundry. He couldn’t find his purple blanket, either. He searched high and low for them, not wanting to lose either for his life. Finally, he brought his worries to Patton, who apologised; presenting Virgil his hoodie, now fixed up with patches made from the blanket where the holes were. Slipping the hoodie back on, Virgil could feel the warmth again. Later that night, Virgil presented Patton with a light grey cat hoodie that he went into town with Logan to buy; as a thank you for fixing his hoodie.

Most days, Virgil wondered how Patton was so happy. He voiced those thoughts to Logan, who’s answer surprised him.

“He wasn’t this happy a year ago, when I first met him. He used to be bitter and cynical. Not wanting anything to do with anyone or anything, and especially not his family. I presume this was around the time that he first ‘came out’, and was shunned from your family.”

“Well… then what changed?”

Logan smiled, a small, gentle smile that conveyed the most infinitesimal fraction of satisfaction, “He met me.”

And looking over at his cheerful cousin, braiding Princey’s hair as Princey regaled him with the tale of how he “slayed a dragon-witch to save an innocent little princess” earlier that day, Virgil almost couldn’t believe him. 

Days were full of light. Full of the sun, and a feeling of lightness that Virgil couldn’t get enough of. No longer were his days cold, full of darkness and blank stares. No more of the cold tile floors and passing glances at parents who’d never look at him the same way. Now, things were different. Now, Virgil had a family.

Now, Virgil was happy.

\---

Princey was driving, Logan was in the passenger seat, and Patton and Virgil sat next to each other in the back; Patton behind Princey and Virgil behind Logan. As usual, the car was filled with playful banter and music from Princey’s endless playlist of Disney songs. But things change. Things changed in the second Princey looked away from the road to stare Logan in the face to challenge his words.

The car hit the drivers side door, smashing the metal into Princey; sending the car skidding to the right, straight into a concrete wall. Logan hit first, his glasses shattering upon impact. Patton leaned over to cover Virgil, taking the hit instead. In the end, Virgil barely had a scratch on him. A couple of bruises from where the seatbelt dug in, but otherwise no injuries.

When the metal smashed into Princey, it broke his ribs, which punctured his lungs. Paramedics took a while to find him, having to dig through the remains of the door to find his body. But by then, it was too late. Princey was dead.

Logan hit the wall with his head, damaging his brain and sending him into a coma. He was brought into the hospital just in the nick of time, but the doctors say that chances of him waking are slim to none. And even if he does, the additional damage done to his brain would limit his intake of knowledge. His smarts, which he prided himself so much on, would be gone.

Like Logan, Patton also hit the wall with his head. But unlike Logan, Patton was sitting in the back of the car, so the impact wasn’t as strong. But that doesn’t mean there was no damage done. Amnesia. Doctors estimate roughly a year of his life forgotten in the accident. Virgil wanted to see him; he was family, after all. But Patton didn’t do well with the thought of anyone in his family near him.

\---

Patton was released from the hospital about a week before the end of summer. He returned to running his tourist shop alone. He wouldn’t let Virgil inside. Virgil stayed in the rocking chair, agreeing to deal with the customers for Patton in order to stay.

6 days passed that way. By day, Virgil would work the register, taking care of the customers. By night, he sat in the rocking chair. Curling into his patchwork hoodie, hoping for the warmth it used to provide him on those cold mornings.

That night would be his last night in Oregon before he returned to those empty halls in Florida. He asked to come in, as he did every time. Since Patton changed, Virgil asked before he did anything. This time, Patton agreed, since it would mean he would be gone for good afterwards.

“C-can I tell you a story?”

Patton raised an eyebrow, “Why?”

“Just… just so you know… I want you to know…”

Patton sighed, “If telling the story makes you leave, then go ahead.”

Steeling his nerves, Virgil spoke, “The first day I came here, you asked me ‘Are you really going to stay?’ and I didn’t answer you. You-you wanted me to stay. You wanted to reconnect with your family. I didn’t answer you, but you still a-asked ag-gain on the second d-day. A-and the th-third.”

By that point, Virgil was crying, bawling his eyes out as he spoke, “A-and o-on th-the four-fourth day, I-I sai-said y-yes. Y-You we-were so h-happy. Y-You f-fixed m-my hoodie, a-and I g-gave yo-you y-yours.”

“Oh, do you mean that ugly thing with the paws? Threw that thing into storage.”

“L-Logan he-helped me p-pick i-it out f-for you. He-he’s yo-your bo-boyfriend.”

Patton scoffed, “I don’t have a boyfriend. And if I do, like you say so, then where the hell is he?”

“C-coma. H-he wa-was in th-the cr-cr-crash with u-us…”

Patton didn’t believe a word that came out of Virgil’s mouth. Ever since word got around that he had no memory of the past year, people have been lying to him left and right. Women claiming he was their boyfriend, some even going as far as to say he was the father of their child. Patton knew those claims weren’t true. Those people didn’t even know a year ago was when he came out as gay. Acting as though not remembering coming out meant he wasn’t gay at all. Jokes on them. The last thing Patton remembers is coming out, and being shunned for it.

“D-Damien, o-one o-of t-the c-cops in t-town, of-offered to h-house m-me for th-the night.”

“So? Come to ask for my permission or something? If so, you’ve got it.”

“N-no. J-just to say go-good-goodbye.”

And with that, Virgil stood up, shaking like crazy as tears streamed down his face like rivers. Part of Patton wanted to call out to him; to hug him and tell him that everything would be ok and that he could stay. He didn’t know why. The other part smirked as he left, another nuisance rid of. Patton listened to that part, turning around as soon as the door closed and going to watch something on his TV.

\---

Virgil returned to Florida. He didn’t tell his parents about his time in Oregon. After all, it wasn’t as though they asked. Back to the same old life. Filled with darkness and blank stares. Full of cold tile floors and passing glances from his parents.

Virgil is cold now.

**Author's Note:**

> Didja cry? I did. So did my beta reader. Which means you probably did too.  
:D  
I was trying out a different kind of writing style so tell me what you think!


End file.
